Strange title? For over 12 years I struggled with weight loss and horrific weight gain only to continue with the same bad habits and downward spiral towards depression. It seems as if I honestly tried every diet known to man. Every quick fix, personal trainer/gym membership, weight loss programs to pills~ I've probably tried it but always ended in the same result.... lose then gain it all back plus some. That is until I made the decision to change my life FOREVER!
It took seeing myself in pictures to actual see myself. I know you are thinking, WHAT???? That's right, I felt pretty. I felt like I fit in. Part of me even felt comfortable in my skin. I guess I had just grown accustom to my weight and thought that was easier then dealing with the reality. It would be a few days after an event with family or friends and the shocking truth would hit me right upside my face. I am hiding my body behind people in pictures or worse I am the largest person among the group. I'm not the person that was covered with fat. My brain didn't feel that way at least. Who was I kidding? The fact is I was obese. I have tons of pictures to prove it. In January of 2011 I weighed in at 292 pounds. The heaviest I've ever weighed in my 35 years. I emotionally broke down. I had to do something about this or I was going to be on meds for the rest of my life or become diabetic. That's no life for me. Honestly I was not living. I was only going through the emotions and putting on a broken smile. I decided to look into gastric surgery. I made an appointment with Dr. Toby Brussard in Edmond, OK. It was the best 2 hours towards the beginning of the rest of my new life. We had to weigh that day and my weight was 259 pounds. I decided immediately what procedure I wanted. I chose the gastric sleeve procedure. I did not want my insides re-routed nor did I want a object placed inside me that required adjustments. So the choice for me was the sleeve procedure. I had several things I had to accomplish in order to get to surgery. I had to lose weight, attend support groups, have lab work done several times, seek counseling, do more research and attend nutrition & exercise classes. All worth it and I knew I deserved a better shot at finding the old me. My day finally came October 6, 2011. It's not all peaches and cream. You have to relearn how to eat. You have to exercise and you must follow directions from your doctor. They do not just throw you into all this change and expect you to succeed. This is a learned process and there are a number of tools available to me daily. I have not had any complications to date and let me say this....I feel the best I've felt in years. I am past the 6 month post-op and still working to reach my weight loss goal.
STARTING WEIGHT JANUARY 2010:
292 lbs
WEIGHT AT SEMINAR:
259 lbs
WEIGHT AS OF 04/18/11:
178
TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS: 114 lbs
I can not express in words how I feel today. It has not just changed me physically but emotionally as well. I feel stronger in ways I can't even try to explain. IT'S LIFE CHANGING PEOPLE and I'm proud of myself for making the decision and sticking to the fact that I am worth it. I wanted to be a better wife and mother. I want so much out of this life and I feel like I am headed in the right direction to achieve those goals. I had a wonderful support group during this process and I am so very thankful! If I can ever be of any help to someone that is facing something similar please do not hesitate to contact me. I'm not afraid to share more details and answer any question you may have.
Very influential!
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